Texas health officials confident children's insurance program will be renewed
AUSTIN — Although Congress missed a crucial deadline last week to renew a health insurance program for low-income children, Texas health officials are confident that funding will be restored soon.
There are nearly 400,000 Texas children and pregnant women enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, which offers coverage to children from families who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to purchase private insurance.
“We’ve been watching the CHIP reauthorization issue very closely,” said Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. “Indications are that it will be reauthorized, and we are hopeful for that.”
Congress failed to reauthorize funding for CHIP by Sept. 30, a missed deadline that means some states only have enough money to continue operating the program through December. Without new funding, Williams said, Texas’ existing federal allotment would be exhausted by February.
Read more: http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/health/2017/10/06/texas-health-officials-confident-childrens-insurance-program-renewed/736347001/